Airmobs P2P Wi-Fi tethering market could create hotspot market

Ever been in one of those locations where your data service has disappeared, but you notice someone on another network chugging away? It would be nice if they could create a mobile hotspot that you could jump on to use instead of resorting to roaming or just doing without service. Later on you could return the favor to someone else. The Viral Spaces research group at MIT is hoping to address these types of situations with the creation of a new community-based P2P Wi-Fi tethering market running on an app they have dubbed Airmobs.

The concept is fairly simple. When you have network access, you fire up the app and let people use your mobile hotspot for their own connection needs. As you do so, the app starts to credit your account. You can then use those credits to “borrow” someone else’s connection when the roles are reversed. The app has controls built in to check for battery life, signal strength, motion, and any data limits you may have set to minimize the impact on your device and your data plan.

One question remains though and that is carrier reaction to the app. The apps creator, Eyal Toledano, recognizes carriers would probably not be interested in users running their own mobile hotspot markets, which is why he is hesitant to release Airmobs to the Google Play Store.

Check out the video below to see some examples of how the system works and then hit the source link if you want more information.

Raised in North Carolina, Jeff Causey is a licensed CPA in North Carolina. Jeff's past Android devices include an HTC EVO, a Samsung Note II, and an LG G3, and a Motorola Moto X Pure Edition along with a Samsung Galaxy Tablet 10.1. He currently uses a Samsung Galaxy S8 and (very rarely) a Nexus 7 (2013). He is also using a Verizon-branded Motorola Moto Z Play Droid supplied by his job. Jeff used to have a pair of Google Glass and a Moto 360 Sport in his stable of gadgets. Unfortunately, his wife and kids have all drunk the Apple Kool-Aid and have i-devices. Life at home often includes demonstrations of the superiority of his Android based devices. In his free time, Jeff is active in his church, a local MINI Cooper car club, and his daughter's soccer club. Jeff is married, has three kids, and a golden retriever.